Toyota’s Tundra pickup has a lot of fans, and those who wish to go electric might be excited to hear the Japanese automaker has been reportedly testing the Tesla Cybertruck, Ford’s F-150 Lightning, and the GMC Hummer EV pickup. The source of the news, Motrolix, spoke with members of Toyota’s development team.
According to the report, Toyota is benchmarking its rivals’ pickups on two of its campuses in the US. The testing involves multiple departments within the company, suggesting whatever Toyota is planning is more than just a pet project.
Toyota only sells two EVs in the US, the bZ4X and the RZ, under its luxury Lexus brand. Both share the same electric platform.
Toyota teased a fully electric midsize pickup more than two years ago. However, the sizes of its competitor’s pickup truck being tested are closer to the Tundra, one of Toyota’s popular pickups powered by an internal combustion engine. In addition, the Rivian R1T, a smaller electric pickup, is conspicuously missing from the selection.
If these speculations are true, the upcoming electric pickup truck from Toyota will be able to hold a larger battery and compete on driving range. For context, the F-150 Lightning can reach up to 320 miles (563km) per charge, while the Hummer EV can go 329 miles (529km).
Toyota is building a $1.3 billion plant in Kentucky for manufacturing the electric SUVs.
